When the New York Mets entered the major leagues in 1962, they were composed of a bunch of has-beens, old timers and should-be minor leaguers.
That team, which went on to lose a modern record of 120 games, became the epitome of the expansion team. They were a bunch of bad players playing badly for a terrible team.
Thirty-three years later, the Orlando Magic are playing for the NBA championship in only their sixth year of existence. The Magic are just one of a handful of expansion teams in hockey, baseball and basketball which represent the new breed of expansion franchises. True, fans may still have to suffer through a few bad years in the beginning, but sooner than not, playoff tickets could go on sale.
So what's the difference?
Well, probably the biggest change is free agency. Imagine if the '62 Mets could have signed Mickey Mantle to a million-dollar contract. They would have been a totally different team.
Two modern-era expansion clubs--the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies--provide an even better perspective on the new look of the game. Both teams filled their rosters with free agents last year--the Marlins nabbed catcher Benito Santiago and the Rockies signed Andres Galaragga--and new stars this year. Big names have turned the expansion teams from pretenders to contenders in just two years.
The free-agent frenzy that occurred in baseball has also spread to the NBA.
Last season, the Magic were swept in the first round of the playoffs. This season, they're battling for an NBA championship. The difference could be two off-season acquisitions--free agents Horace Grant and Brian Shaw.
While free agency has made the biggest change in expansion teams, another factor--the creation of the draft, or in the NBA, the lottery--has helped jumpstart these teams' hopes. Orlando struck it rich in the draft, getting Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway in back-to-back years. During Shaq's first year in the league, the Magic won 20 more games and just missed the playoffs. In hindsight, they're probably glad they didn't make the playoffs--failure to do so put them in the 1993 lottery and gave them a chance to select All-NBA point guard Hardaway.
Looking ahead to next season, the NBA's newest franchises--the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors--will pick at the sixth and seventh slots in the draft. That opportunity will give each team a solid player on which to build a franchise. Next year, both teams will likely visit the lottery again, and that means another top player. And that's not even counting any potential free agent either team could sign. In no time, the pushover could turn into a bona fide contender.
Baseball and basketball aren't the only sports to have blossoming expansion teams. Hockey has added five teams in the past four years. And while Ottawa and Tampa Bay are years away from making the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks--the league's laughingstock its first few seasons--advanced to the second round of the playoffs this year. Once again, the draft and free agency triggered the expansion team's sudden rise.
But before all you Vancouver fans start ordering playoff tickets, it's time for a dose of reality. You still have a ways to go before even thinking about the playoffs. The Grizzlies may just be the NBA version of the Seattle Mariners, an expansion team that entered the league in 1977 and has yet to drink the champagne of a championship celebration. Only time will tell if the Grizzlies can cast off the memories of the '62 Mets and claim some of the magic from Orlando.
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